The strange phenomenon of ‘brain massage’ videos on YouTube featuring whispering women, scratching boards and cats purring, has become big business around the world. New research documents the currous rise of these ‘ASMR’ videos, and the millions made by their creators.
First coined in 2010, ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) is a relaxing, often sedative sensation that begins on the scalp and moves down the body. Also known as “brain massage,” it’s triggered by placid sights and sounds such as whispers, accents, and crackles.
A new study, from Online Mattress Review, reveals which countries are hooked on ASMR videos, the influencers making over $1m a year.
In this new study, the firm analysed the state of ASMR in 2020 and identified:
• The two South Korean influencers estimated to make $495,200 per month from her ASMR YouTube videos
• The American ASMRtist with over 8 million subscribers.
• The Indonesian influencer taking over YouTube with her slime ASMR videos – cashing in an estimated $2.9 million a year.
• The Canadian ASMR star whose videos have been watched over 603 million times.
• The top 10 most-watched ASMR videos on YouTube right now
The efficacy of ASMR has been the subject of many articles and research pieces, from Scientific American to the University of Sheffield.
It is not a new trend, but worldwide interest in ASMR continues to grow. According to Google data, there are 2.3 million global Google searches for ASMR every month.
YouTube data shows that there are 11 million global searches every month for ASMR.
For example, the YouTuber behind this video below could be making over $495,000 per month on ad revenue – that’s more than the annual salary of the US President.
OnlineMattressReview.com decided to study the state of ASMR in 2020 to show the true scale of this internet phenomenon. The team used data from various web analytics tools including Google Keyword Planner data.
